No One Could Have Fathomed
by PandoraFrog
Summary: I feel like cancer is a cruel joke someone is playing on me. My wife gets cancer, and almost beats it, but after nearly a year of remission, it comes back, and it comes back hard. Punch line? I can't do anything about it. Haha. Very funny. Ryella
1. Chapter 1

I jolt awake. My eyes scan the room frantically, trying to remember where I am. But then I remember, I'm in the same empty, familiar, somewhat scary hospital room I've always been in. And then my eyes land on my wife. Her face looks like one of an angel's, despite looking so frail and weak. I reach out on hand and stroke her cheek gently and smile warmly to myself as a stray tear runs down my face. I wipe it away and glance at my watch, nearly 3:30. I yawn and stare at my wife longer, as is seeing her for the first time. No one deserves the sickness she carries.

I hate cancer. It plagues my wife, my wonderful, perfect wife. She did nothing. If anyone deserves this, I do, not her. I would gladly take this from her in a heartbeat. I feel like cancer is a cruel joke someone is playing on me. My wife gets cancer, almost beats it, but after nearly a year of remission it comes back, and it comes back hard. Punch line? I can't do anything to help. Haha. Very funny.

I give one exasperated sigh and get up from my chair I had been sitting in for the past twelve hours. I sudy my wife once more before walking towards the window. I run my hands through my blond hair and shake my head at everything we've been through. Gabriella and I have been married for nearly sixteen years, come September, but we've known eachother since we were both six years old, when she first moved into my neighborhood.

She and I have been through so much, and the day I dropped to one knee and held out the ring, out of all the thoughts running through my head, the very last one was; _What is she gets sick one day? What if she gets diagnosed with leukemia? _

**a/n Okay, what did you think of that?? I got this idea really late last night and had to write it. This is just the intro, and if you like the sound of it, feel free to leave a review. I have some pretty good ideas in store :)**


	2. When We Met

"Mr. Evans, you really must rest." I glanced back at the nurse whispering to me and nodded. Sometimes I feel like the nurses here are more worried about me then they are of Gabriella. But they mean well.

"Thank you." I whisper back and she smiles and exits. I walk over to my wife and look at her bedside table. On it is a lovely bouquet of flowers, sent from her mother, and a family picture. I pick it up gingerly.

Gabs and I have two children. Stephen is the older one; he's fifteen years old and has the exact face of his mother. And little Gloria is just six, the same age as we were when we first met. I rub my thumb over Gloria's picture and chuckle, remembering that sweet summer day…

x-x-x-x

The blond boy stepped onto his back porch and grinned. Today, he decided, he would be adventurous. His parents never let him outside by himself, in fear of him having an asthma attack and no one there to help him. But he was growing tired of his sister treating him like a toddler and never letting him out of her sight. He longed to be Ryan, just Ryan, instead of Sharpay and her twin Ryan, and he'd start this by proving he could play outside without his sister's constant supervision.

He gazed around his backyard, deciding what he'd do. He and his sister had a dream backyard for a six year old. They had a play castle, a tree house, and a swimming pool complete with a water slide. On account of the overcast and his lack of swim trunks, he quickly ruled out the aspect of swimming. Playing castle was never fun, by himself or with Sharpay, who insisted on him being her servant. So he decided the tree house was how he was going to spend his day, despite his fear of heights.

He started to make his way towards his porch steps when something made him stop dead in his tracks. He heard something rustle in the shrubs separating the Evans' yard from the for sale house's yard. He studied the bushes, but when there was no movement, he shrugged it off and continued down the steps, fixing his blue fedora hat along the way. He charged down his yard towards the tree that contained his and Sharpay's tree house. Along the way he kept an eye on the shrubs.

When he reached the tree he glanced up at the top. He was never fond of heights, and before today the idea of playing in a house at the top of a tree terrified him. But today was different, he was not the same worry art Ryan Evans, the same Ryan Evans that needed his twin sister to baby him. He took a deep breath and grabbed the first rung of the rest of his life.

He began to climb, at first he was scared; his heart racing, but after the first couple of rungs he relaxed. When he reached the top he grinned and started to pull himself up. Before he did, however, he heard a noise in the bushes; a noise that sounded like a giggle. He glanced over, and when he did, his foot slipped off the rope ladder and, luckily, he grabbed onto the edge of the house before he fell. Unfortunately, he had no idea how he was going to get down, besides the obvious choice of falling down and breaking something. He tried to cry for help but nothing came out, and even if it did, no one was out to help him anyways.

'I'm gonna die…' He thought as his arms began to shake. He decided he'd just let go and die, when he heard a voice.

'Hold on, I'm coming!' He opened his eyes that he had previously been squeezing shut and looked around him. Running from the bushes was a brunette, not much younger than he. Her curls bounced as she hurried to the tree. She scrambled up and was quickly reaching down from the house to grab his hands. He wasted no time in grasping them and she pulled him up right next to her. They were both breathing heavily and still grasping each other's hands. Ryan wiped a tear from his cheek and looked at his rescuer. 'Thanks,' he stammered, looking into her brown eyes. She smiled slightly at him and laughed.

'I thought you were gonna fall and die!' She sighed. 'You're lucky I was in the bushes, and I'm sorry I made you fall.'

Ryan wrinkled his nose in confusion. 'How'd you make me fall?'

She looked down at the ground. 'I laughed, and when you looked my way you fell.'

'That was you?' He questioned, and she nodded. 'It's okay; I shouldn't have been out here by myself.' He fixed his hat nervously.

'Oh…' She said and looked back at him. 'What's your name?'

He looked at her and studied her face before answering. 'Ryan, Ryan Evans.' He smiled slightly because this was the first time he had ever introduced himself without adding, _and this is my sister, Sharpay._

She smiled at him warmly. 'I'm Gabriella Montez, I just moved in.' She pointed at the house right by Ryan's.

He nodded and looked down at his feet. After a few moments of silence he looked back up at her. 'Do you wanna come over and swim sometime?' He asked, pointing at his pool.

She smiled at him and giggled. 'I'll ask my mom.' They both smiled at eachother, when someone interrupted them.

'Ryan!' Ryan and Gabriella both jumped up as Sharpay charged toward them. 'There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you!' She yelled, completely ignoring Gabriella. 'Mom says you can't be out here alone!'

Ryan glanced at Gabriella and then back at his twin, 'Sharpay, I wasn't alone, Gabriella's here, she just-'

'Ya, okay, just come back inside!' She interrupted again and turned around and hurried inside.

Ryan sighed and looked at Gabriella apologetically. She smiled at him. 'You gotta go?' He nodded and they both got up.

'Thanks again for saving my life; it was a pleasure meeting you.' He grabbed her hand, and just like his dad had shown him, he lifted it up and kissed it. She giggled and blushed. 'You can come over tomorrow, we could go swimming, or play in my room.' He released her hand and she smiled at him.

'I'd like that.' She giggled and they both began climbing down the ladder. They both went their separate ways, unaware of the friendship that was born that day.

x-x-x-x-x

I've always had a crush on Gabriella. Who knew that that cute little girl that saved my life when I was six, would one day become my wife. The one thing I don't like about that story is, Gabriella saved my life, she didn't know me or anything, but she saved my life. Now, Thirty-one years later, and I have no way to return the favor. I place the picture down and collapse into my chair.

**A/N: okay, what did you think? I love young romance, so cute. And I can really see Ryan being a major wimp when he was a youngster, so that's how I portrayed him. And even as a six year old, he was still a gentlemen that made girls blush :) Please review if you liked it**

**-Pandora**


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